North to South, East to West
by unostalgic
Summary: Six continents, two hemispheres, hundreds of countries, anywhere on the globe – whether they're naughty or nice, the Guardians will protect the children of the world, and they'll protect each other too. -fifteen/twenty-
1. Let's Talk About Forever

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Let's Talk About Forever

Prompt: Beginning (Day 1)

Characters: The Guardians (North, Sandy, Tooth, Bunnymund, Jack)

a/n: I'm pretty sure I've crossed the line with this movie from liking to an obsession so I'm going to start the 30 Day Challenge…watch this space! Let me know what you think, thanks for reading...

* * *

**LET'S TALK ABOUT FOREVER**

When you've existed for long enough, life begins to feel like forever, with no beginning and no end.

Nobody is really sure how anything started. They've just always been there, lingering in the shadows or watching from above like guardian angels. Because that's what they are, guardians. North, Bunnymund, Tooth, Sandy and now Jack, they're all guardians.

Yet nobody remembers how they began.

North's past life hits him in flashbacks. Perhaps the yetis will be painting a toy that triggers memories, or the elves will bring him baked treats familiar to him, chocolate cookies or pumpkin pie. When it happens, he shakes his head, blinks and gets this distant look in his eyes.

He remembers only his grandchildren, the three of them. He remembers bringing them presents upon presents every Christmas. It was his greatest joy to see the wonder in their faces when they opened them to reveal the surprise inside - and that one moment plays over and over in his head, in times of both recollection and nostalgia.

Tooth remembers even less. A faint lullaby, soft and sweet, sung by a woman; maybe a mother, or a sister she once had – she hums it sometimes in children's ears to keep them in slumber. Her memories only consist of that single melody, although at times she wishes it was more.

But time and time again she's steeled her resolve and walked away from her desire, her reasoning being? She doesn't need to know what her past life was. She's living in this life; she's making the best memories she ever could in this life. She need not know the ones of her past, unknown their nature, joyous or hurtful. The risk is not worth taking.

As for Bunnymund, he only remembers Australia. Not who he was, not what he did, but where he made his home. Dry, bland Australia, where bright sun and tumultuous rain come one after the other, where people called each other dills and dingbats, the place he loves most of all to this day. But he doesn't know where his home is in his favorite place, on the coast or in the outback. Sometimes when he returns down under, he just feels misplaced and lost.

And Sandy remembers nothing at all, he is the oldest. He's spent too many nights sending children to dreamland to worry about himself when the sun goes down. The other guardians know he works the hardest; anywhere in the world, at least one child is asleep, and the Sandman gives them sweet dreams no matter who they are.

The other guardians, they know he's the most selfless, too. To think of his job and nothing else is a great burden to bear. He never speaks, so they don't know what he thinks about day to day, but it's certainly not of himself. It leaves them wondering if, as well as being the oldest, Sandy might be the most lonely behind that smile.

Jack's the only one who remembers his beginning – darkness. It's the first thing he remembers; it was the start of everything. Darkness, the frost, and the light of the moon; his body breaking the thick layer of ice and his gasp for air. Then he picked up his staff, how he knew of its power he doesn't remember, and watched the icicles curl across the surface of the frozen pond. Suddenly, it was pure joy. He had leaped and yelled, celebrating his new-found power, the nonexistent boundaries of possibilities open to him.

It was the one magical moment he would experience before being thrust back into the shadows for the next three hundred years.

Being invisible for three hundred years is a long time. It had felt like forever.

Back at the start, it might've seemed like the beginning of the end. Unable to be seen day after day, he was trapped in a nonexistent dimension, the change of the world around him incessant while he stood stock still.

But now he's real. Now he's here, and he's alive, and he's believed in. He's not just a story anymore. And neither are the guardians – North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunnymund – they have something to live for, they can wait out until the end of time. And when the children of the world grow up and their lights disappear from the globe, they'll live for each other.

Even if it is forever.


	2. Grumbling

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Grumbling

Prompt: Accusation

Characters: Jack/Bunnymund

a/n: Any potentially offensive jokes in this story are purely for amusement. Hey, I'm from Aus too. I should be allowed to poke fun at myself, right? Warning for language in this one. Thanks for the favourites/follows/review_s _so far!

* * *

**GRUMBLING**

_"Been a while, mate. Blizzard of '68, I believe. Easter Sunday, wasn't it?"_

_"You're not still mad about that, are you?" _

They're always, always arguing, Jack and Bunnymund.

The two have a strained kind of relationship, always against each other, always on opposite sides of the chess board. They tolerate each other, for the most part. Other times, they just let all hell break loose.

They're too different, is why the other guardians think they don't get along so well. Bunnymund, on one side, disciplined and strong-willed, straight. Jack, on the other, free-spirited, carefree, putting decisions into action straightaway without thinking about the consequences, completely and utterly reckless.

They should complement each other, like yin and yang, black and white, hot-headed and cooled down. Bunnymund – a realist, Jack – an idealist. Dreaming is tempered by reality. That, or they drive each other up the wall, inside out, batshit crazy.

It was probably that stupid Easter Sunday blizzard of '68 that started it all. It was winter at its worst – a raging snowstorm that lasted for hours after Jack had failed to watch how large it had gotten, eventually spreading little too far and pissing off a few too many people, Bunnymund most of all. Eggs aren't good with snowstorms. Easter was a disaster that year, and the only person the Easter Bunny could find to point a finger at the winter spirit himself.

And so it began.

It started with back and forth insults; just daily, over-the-shoulder comments that bite and sting a little.

"Did you know that there's been snow in every state of America?"

"Alright sure, Frostbite. Just tell me everything ya know. It'd only take ten seconds anyway."

Mostly it's just verbal. Maybe a headlock, forceful punches in the arm from time to time, but nothing too serious.

It's hardly anything to Bunny can laugh about though. It's a shame Bunnymund is a lot easier to insult than Jack. The amount of Australian things Jack can poke fun at surprises even him.

"Hey Bunny, would you mind taking that barbed wire out of your teeth?"

"I wouldn't mind paying a visit to Sydney or Melbourne or Darwin or wherever the capital is."

"Bunny, you want to hear a joke? Australians. "

* * *

Frankly, Bunnymund's been the bigger man for long enough. That amount of insults, no matter how playful, is a lot to take, and there's only so long he can keep a poker face for.

So on one of the warmer spring nights, Bunnymund hasn't got much to do. It's only been a short while since Easter. He heads down to the pond – Jack's pond. It's unusually cold in the area, and the winter guardian's kept the trees coated in a thin layer of snow, as expected. Bunny rolls his eyes. Even a little snow makes him bloody cold.

Easter's over, the kids are happy with their eggs. It means he's free to use his time, and Easter supplies, to his hearts content; perfect.

With the leftover egg dye he's hauled with him in the middle of the night, he proceeds to color Jack's barren white haven – literally.

Bunny's never felt so spontaneous and wild and free and gleeful in his life. He lets all his inhibitions and months of built up irritation inside go. He really does go batshit crazy – with a wild grin. The pond is bright pink, the trees now shades of blue, green and orange, the surrounding snow dyed bright purple. It's the most perfect sight he's ever seen.

No, wait. The perfect sight will be seeing Jack's face when he gets back.

* * *

What he doesn't anticipate is Jack seething in pure and utter rage. And should have anticipated even more than that. Bunnymund should've known better, Jack thinks to himself as he stands in his colored wonderland, his safe sanctuary now penetrated and tampered with but one lousy bunny.

With a frustrated grunt, he gives the tree trunk a roundhouse kick, the green snow falling in a shower from the branch. He kicks the snow around his feet and the colors begin to mix. That stupid rabbit—

He firmly grabs his staff and rides the southern wind down under. There, in the middle of the night, Jack creates the biggest snowstorm he can, surpassing the monstrosity that was the Blizzard of '68. He calls the mightiest of winds, showers the entire area in a thick layer of white, and makes it the coldest living hell that Bunny is ever going to experience.

Right in the middle of his precious warren.

* * *

When the Easter Bunny wakes up, he's cold, very cold. He shivers as he sits up, and looking around him, his warren has turned to snow. The trees painted with a white powder and the branches turned to icicles. The grass has dried and died overnight, the flowers too.

Jack involuntarily killed a season, by destroying the birthplace of spring.

The anger inside him bubble sup and bursts forth like an inferno, all in one intake of the scenery around him. Once so colorful, now bleak and barren.

"FROST!"

Back up three thousand feet high in the sky, Jack smirks.

* * *

"You."

"You!"

When they meet again, the first thing Bunnymund does is take a swipe at Jack's hoodie and yank him up by the collar, only to be stopped by Tooth.

"Aster, put him down, right now!" she yells, her voice huge coming from such a small figure. Bunny drops Jack on the ground without much care.

"What's going on?"

Jack angrily gets up off the ground and dusts himself off.

"You turned my home into a circus!"

"You nearly killed mine, ya bloody dill!"

And they're at it again; Jack launches himself at Bunny's torso, tackling him onto the ground with surprising force. The latter shoves him off and is prepared to jump and knock him senseless when North grabs Jack by the torso and slings him over his shoulder .Sandy tugs on the end of Bunnymund's tail, forcefully dragging him back.

"Oi, hands off, mate." He turns back to Jack with a seething gaze, "this is between me and Frostbite."

North swings around so Jack can return his pointed glare. Tooth stands between the two parties, hovering in midair with her hands on her hips.

"Right, enough, you two. You've both been acting like five year olds since the day you met but this has gone far enough."

"He started it—"Jack grumbles, but is cut off with a jab in the ribs by North.

"Aster, you colored his home? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oi, I did it a favor. He should be thanking me. I put some life into his home. It was a bloody cold hole of a place."

"Coming from someone who was born in a hole—"Jack mutters darkly.

"Shut it!" Bunnymund launches forwards only to be pulled back by Sandy, "Ow, little man. Don't take my tail off."

"Jack, you didn't really kill Australia, did you?" Tooth asks. North reluctantly drops Jack back down on the floor. He leans on his staff to get back on his feet.

"I didn't kill it. Well, not the whole of Australia. Just his part of it."

"He killed the flowers and dried out the grass. Just because he made a bloody snowstorm in the middle of the night, in my backyard?! Ya killed everything living there!"

"You pretty much murdered my home too, you know. Really, pink? Couldn't have chosen a better color?"

"Seriously, you two!" Tooth yells, frustrated, "Jack, even if you didn't mean to hurt anyone or anything, you did, so you have to start thinking about consequences with every decision," she says, crossing he arms over her chest. Jack grumbles something inaudible.

"And Aster," she turns to the bunny, "you know how Jack is. He plays it big and tough but he's still a little kid. You shouldn't take everything seriously." Bunny rolls his eyes.

"Both of you. Your duties are being guardians, but you're all family now. You should start treating each other like family means something to you."

Both Jack and Bunnymund stay silent. There's truth in her words.

"Now apologize to each other."

The two begrudgingly turn to make eye contact. Bunny crosses his arms over his torso and begins to tap his foot irritably. But he gives in.

"Frost."

"Hm."

"I'm sorry I colored yer pond and trees and snow. Even if it does look a damn lot better."

Jack nods silently.

"Alright. Bunny, I'm sorry I made the biggest snowstorm ever, even though nobody is celebrating that achievement with me." Jack says, bowing his head a little.

Tooth glares. Jack sighs.

"And I'm sorry I ruined your backyard."

They stay in uncomfortable silence for a while, exchanging back and forth glances with reluctant eyes. Tooth clears her throat.

"Ahem, that was very good, you two. Now, tell each other what you like about them."

Both turn to her in disbelief. Tooth shrugs.

"You're family, you know. May as well start acting like it."

Sandy nudges Bunnymund. Oh, alright.

"Frostbite—I mean, Jack, I…" he looks at Tooth one last time in hope she's not serious, but her expression tells him otherwise, "I, uh, like your enthusiasm. In life."

Jack raises his eyebrows, holding back a huge grin and a snigger. The huge pooka looks so uncomfortable being nice, it's almost endearing. North gives him a stern look.

"Oh. Uh, Bunnymund, I…appreciate how dedicated you are. Like, how much time you put into everything. As a guardian. You know."

Tooth nods in approval, as do Sandy and North. The two stand still, slathered in an awkward silence, not sure what to say or do. To Bunny's surprise, Jack clears his throat and scratches the nape of his neck tentatively.

"So. Uh, you want me to go help you clean up over there? I can probably get rid of all the snow and revive some of the plants."

Bunnymund shrugs.

"Sure. I'd wanna help clean up yer place too, but that dye's not going to come out."

Jack gives him a sideways glare and a hard punch to the arm, but all the way to Jack's little pond in Burgess and back, they talk to each other, for the first time in years really. The first time either of them sees the other as more.

More than just a bunny with an accent tolerate, and more than a smarmy kid with a cold chip in his shoulder. It might not be a leap forward, but it's a step. And that's good enough for everyone, for now.

* * *

a/n: So I'm like an inspiration road block and some of the prompts I'm completely stuck on, so if you'd please help me out - if you've got any kind of idea, please let me know by review or PM, I'd really like that...thanks for reading!


	3. The Dreams In Which I'm Dying

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: The Dreams In Which I'm Dying

Prompt: Restless

Characters: Jack/Jamie

a/n: Part one/two of an arc. Thanks for the reviews/favourites/follows so far, keep letting me know what you think, and the suggestions – I'm writing some of the chapters now so you might see your idea soon! ~ watch this space …

* * *

**THE DREAMS IN WHICH I'M DYING**

Some nights, Jack finds it hard sleeping alone. Keeping him up at night, sometimes it's the feeling that something's missing lingers with him, sometimes it's just that his brain won't shut up. All the thoughts bounce around in his mind and he just can't seem to make everything stop. But sometimes, it's just his dreams.

One night, the dreams get really bad. He's had lurking nightmares before, but never like this. And they victimize Jamie, his precious believer. He's standing on the surface of the frozen pond, whispering his name and walking towards him slowly. But he's smiling, he's happy to see him. He opens his arms out wide to envelop him in a hug, then suddenly, the ice beneath Jamie's feet gives way and he falls through. And just like that, he's gone. The nightmare ends.

Jack sits up, shocked, breaking into a cold sweat and panting. He looks down from the branch of his tree to see the very pond that destroys his soul in the night. But it's frozen solid, and there's no sign of his sister. Still shaken, he drops down to the ground and sits cross legged on the ice.

Cold is usually a comforting feeling but right now, all it brings is an emptiness he can't ignore. And then fear.

The nightmare still lingers, he can see him in his mind, dropping down beneath that ice and his piercing scream echoes in his brain over and over again. He grits his teeth helplessly and puts his hands over his ears.

"It was just a dream," he mutters to himself, "it was just a stupid nightmare."

But the following night, it happens again. And this time, the nightmare is longer, and more painful. After he falls, he scrambles on his hands and knees to where the ice is broken, screaming Jamie's name and clawing at the frozen surface until his fingers start to bleed. But he's gone, and Jack continues to shake and cry long after her wakes.

The last night is when he can't take it anymore. He's already clawing at the ice and the red begins to bleed through to the frosty water beneath, and fear suddenly makes its way to his mind, in the one form he never wanted to see again in his life. His black robe stained with his blood, Pitch Black begins to laugh, demonically, until the nightmare takes him.

As soon as he escapes, still shaking and sobbing violently, Jack rides the winter wind, all the way to the North Pole; to the one place he can rely there will be some warmth.

Santa Claus is asleep when he arrives. Jack tiptoes into the globe room, illuminated by the scattered lights. He's relieved to see a fireplace, and he sits down to warm up. It's not something he's used to, but he needs it more than anything right now. Some light, some warmth.

Pitch is someone who still lingers in the shadows of his mind, as much as he's tried to drive him out. But he's still a kid, Jack Frost, and forever he will stay as one – still very vulnerable on the inside, no matter how frosty his magic keeps the outside.

Jack hears the door creak open and a disheveled North silently takes a seat next to him in front of the fire.

"I thought I heard somebody enter. What brings you here, my boy?"

Jack doesn't answer straightaway. Talking about it would trigger the feeling again. And he finds that he's right, edging closer to the warmth, away from the shadows cast behind him.

"Nightmares," he answers. North's expression darkens.

"Nightmares, you say, Jack?" he nods slowly, cold creeping back to his body despite the warm flames.

"Yeah, a lot of them."

North doesn't speak, but Jack knows what he's thinking about. It's the one thing the guardians know they have to be wary of no matter where, no matter when.

Pitch may have been defeated, but fear will always be constant. And fear makes the nightmare king stronger. It's dangerous for a guardian to be so vulnerable to it.

"You think he's the one doing this to me?" Jack asks, his voice quiet. North gets up, wordlessly, and leaves the room for a moment. Jack brings his knees up to his chest and watches as the flames crackle and flicker in front of him, his mind whirring.

_Pitch is gone. Pitch was defeated by the guardians. He's not around anymore. He can't hurt you anymore. He's gone. _

He tells himself these things to camouflage his real emotions. It twists and desperately tears away at the mental barriers his mind created to banish such feelings. But there's no point in doing so when fear is already at the forefront of his thoughts. It lives inside him. Fear lives in Jack Frost – Pitch lives in him. He feeds on the happiness and sucks away at it, only becoming stronger and stronger—

"Jack?"

Familiar warmth envelops him from behind and alerts him from his reverie. He turns to see Tooth, her head resting on the nape of his neck. When she lifts her head, she gently wipes the tears slipping down his face.

"Oh, Jack, don't cry. We're all here for you."

Behind her, he sees Sandy and Aster have also arrived, both looking a little tired, but awake and anxious.

"Kiddo, you alright? When North sent out the lights, I was thinking it as somethin' real serious." Even Bunnymund looks a little concerned, his ears drooping. Sandy just floats over to Jack and pats him on the back, then sticking his fingers between Jack's lips and hooking the corners of his mouth up into a makeshift smile.

"Jack has been having nightmares." North murmurs. The other guardians share worried glances.

"It's not that little black bugger again, is it, mate? I thought we kicked him to the curb for good."

"That is also what I thought." North replies.

"What do we do about it then?" Tooth asks, taking Jack's hand and holding it tight.

"Jack is still a boy. And forever a boy he will be. I do not know whether or not it is _him_ causing these dreams."

"But North, Pitch is long gone! He's done, finished! How can this even be possible?" Tooth asks, her voice strained.

"Because, my dear, Pitch lives on fear. It is what makes him strong. We can banish the man, yet I do not know we will ever be able to banish the feeling."

"But I have to. For _his_ sake."

Everyone turns to look at Jack. He doesn't look back. He keeps his gaze on the fire.

"In my nightmare, Jamie falls through an ice pond. I yell out to him, and I claw and twist and scratch the ice to save him but it's too late. And then he's gone, just like that."

He turns to Sandy, his expression suddenly distraught, "dreams are supposed to be unconscious desires, aren't they?"

Sandy neither agrees nor disagrees, with only a glum expression playing on his face. A slow despondent **? **appears over his head.

Jack hangs his head low, his voice even lower and rough with emotion.

"Is there something wrong with me? Why do I dream these things?"

"It's fear, Jack. It's all in yer head, mate."

"You're just scared, Jack—"Tooth tries.

"I know! I know I'm scared," his raised voice quieting everyone else, "but I'm not scared for me. I'm scared for him."

The room falls silent.

"What if Pitch does something to him? And what if I can't protect him? I'd never forgive myself," he swallows and his voice returns coarse, "this isn't just a nightmare you can hit with Sandy's dream sand. This is something real, I have to treat it like it's real and not just a dream that goes away in the morning."

He's not just some helpless scared kid anymore. That's what he's been forgetting. Without a word, he stands up, despondence turning to anger, just a little bit.

"I have to do my job right. If he dares try to attack him…" he feels his hands clench into fists unconsciously.

His resolve steeled, his guardian instincts kick into overdrive, but so do his brotherly ones. Part of his fear turns to armor. The other guardians watch without protest as their youngest leaves the safety of the workshop and their open arms. They're only left to worry whether Jack can fight off the nightmares before the fear swallows him completely.


	4. Are The Best I've Ever Had

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Are The Best I've Ever Had

Prompt: Snowflake

Characters: Jack/Jamie

a/n: Part Two/two of this mini-arc! Kind of forgot about the prompt and chucked it in there last minute, my bad haha. I'm still kind of stuck on the next ones (haze/flame/formal) so keep them suggestions coming...(btw do you like what i did with the titles? i thought it was pretty smart-sounding, it's just me i think haha)

* * *

**ARE THE BEST I'VE EVER HAD**

Jamie hasn't been able to sleep lately. It's because frightening dreams keep him drifting off with one eye open. In his dreams, they're reunited, standing on the other side of a frozen pond, healthy and alive. He runs towards his open arms, then suddenly, with a crack, the surface breaks and he falls through to the cold, cold water.

But before the dream ends, something scares him into waking – the water around him turns blood red; and the last thing he sees through the ice is Jack's lifeless body, hands town through from clawing the ice, and Pitch Black standing over his guardian's figure. And he's numb, on the inside and out, when he wakes up.

He tells himself it's weird and crazy to be dreaming about him. Whenever he dreams, he never remembers what happens, but these dreams; they stick in his mind and follow him around all day until he's so scared he can't sleep.

It's not the falling he's afraid of. It's the sight of Jack falling, albeit gracefully, like a snowflake, and then lying motionless on the ice, his life bleeding through the cracks.

That night, he sleeps with the nightlight on. He stares at it until his mind begins to shut down, and then he shakes himself away again. He can't fall asleep, or the dream might come back again.

But he's a ten year old boy. There's only so long he can stay awake for.

Eventually he lets himself drift away. And he's back on the ice again. Jack stands on the other side. He waves, then he moves – he tries to stop himself from moving at all, but he has no control over his body. He watches helplessly as his dream counterpart reaches out to Jack's outstretched hand, and the ice beneath gives way. Before disappearing beneath the ice, he hears the loud thud of Jack's body hitting the solid surface.

* * *

Jack hovers around Jamie's bedroom window at midnight, observing the ten year old as she sleeps. Peering in, he can see action figures strewn across the table, plastic cars and planes scattering on the floor – Jack smiles a little in spite of the serious situation. Jamie lies stomach down on the bed, the sheets draped across his shoulders. They rise and fall with the ten-year-old's steady breathing.

It's unsettling that nothing seems out of the ordinary. Jack sighs gently and pulls the sheets tighter over Jamie's slumbering figure. Taking a seat at the foot of his bed, he cautiously surveys the contents of his room. Moonlight falls lightly over his collection of toys, his winter parka, his collection of storybooks.

Still so young and worth protecting. Jack sits quietly at the foot of his bed, and waits.

And waits.

And waits.

But Pitch doesn't come.

Why doesn't he come?

As the night drags on longer and longer, darker and darker, Jack feels his eyes begin to droop closed but he slaps himself awake again. He has to keep himself awake, for Jamie's sake at the very least.

It's harder than he imagined. Whenever he allows them to close for even a second, they flutter open a few minutes later and he feels his heart drop in panic that he's missed something. He'll look over at Jamie, sees that he's peacefully asleep, and the process starts again.

Eventually he loses track of how much it repeats itself. And stupid him, he loses track of time and it's not until morning comes that he's woken by the sound of a little boy sniffling.

Startled, his eyes snap open and Jack's blinded by the bright sunlight streaming through the window. He turns to see Jamie in tears, sitting up in bed. He doesn't even look at him.

Without a word, Jack throws his arms around him, helplessly protecting Jamie from what he had already missed.

"Jamie, I'm so sorry. I came to protect you from the nightmares."

To his relief, Jamie buries himself deeper into his chest, the sobbing becoming more wracked and painful to listen to.

"Pitch came tonight. And he took you. And that was the whole dream from start to finish. It just kept going and going and going—"

Jack gently shushes him before he can continue, but he can only feel anger growing towards that bastard who scared his little Jamie.

A tiny, barely ten year old child having to witness death over and over again. Once, even, is too much for someone so young to see.

So the next night it continues on. Jamie's playful demeanor returns during the day, but at night, the fear returns. The boy bounces tirelessly around his bedroom as quietly as he can in hope to keep himself awake, all the while Jack unsuccessfully trying to protest.

"Jack, can you tape my eyes open?"

"Jack, can you make me some coffee?"

"Jack, can you paint eyes on my eyes so Pitch will think I'm awake?"

Adorable suggestions to make his ten year old friend an insomniac are refused again and again by the reluctant guardian. With a little bit of coaxing, Jack finally gets Jamie into his bed. Clutching his teddy bear tightly, Jack wonders if Pitch is seeing how much grief he is causing Jamie, if any of it will make him want to stop his torture. If not even Jamie can stir Pitch's heart, it must be made of stone. Or he must not have one at all.

"Jack, I want you to wake me up if I fall asleep. I can't sleep tonight, okay?"

"You're only ten, Jamie. You need your sleep. I have to protect you this time; that's my job."

"But protecting you is _my_ job!" Jamie insists, clinging to his teddy bear with one hand and Jack's hand with the other.

"Not tonight, Jamie. Tonight your only job is to sleep well, get some rest and have good dreams so you can play hard tomorrow, okay?"

"Jack? I'm scared though."

"Don't be. I'm here."

Jamie's hard day of play takes its toll on the little boy and in a few minutes he's out like a light. He falls asleep clutching Jack's hand tightly, so tightly the winter spirit has to make sure all the bones in his fingers are still intact.

He waits and waits. Whenever Jamie moves at all, normally Jack glances over to see he's just flipped over in his sleep, their fingers still entwined, leaving his wrist at uncomfortable angles.

He wonders if Pitch is coming at all. Maybe he's become a changed man after his downfall and the nightmares are just coincidences.

But then Jamie begins to squirm violently in his sleep and Jack laughs at himself for believing Pitch's cruel intentions were anything but.

"Jamie, it's just a dream." Jack whispers, but the frightened tears are already beginning to slip, and every grimace on his face causes a few more to course down his cheeks.

Jack furiously stands up, clutching his staff, watching the room closely, the dark shadows where the moonlight has not yet reached.

Then he sees it – a ghostly figure of a nightmare slinking along in the shadows of Jamie's toys. It hisses as it approaches the bed, but Jack bares his staff.

"Touch him, and you're a dead horse. I mean, dream," he corrects himself, then shakes his head dismissively, "you're dead."

The nightmare rears its head and violently begins to snap at Jack's stick. He wrestles with the mare's teeth locked into the part very close to his fingers and manages to throw it to the other side of the room. It sneers angrily and makes a startlingly fast running jump for Jamie and before Jack can even lift his hand to stop it, Jamie begins to toss and turn.

* * *

Jamie knew it was coming, but it didn't mean he was ready for it.

The dream began like it had on other nights. Him standing on the edge of the pond, with Jack on the others side, arms outstretched. He runs, although he tells himself not to. And the ice cracks, he's swallowed up by the water.

But this time, the dream doesn't just end. Suddenly he's sinking beneath the ice but he can still see Pitch's eerie long figure come out from the shadows to take on Jack. He tells out to his friend but water fills his mouth and makes it hard to breathe. He's running out of air, fast. But he hears everything loud and clear.

"Jack Frost, I was hoping I'd see you again," he hears Pitch say.

"The feeling's not mutual," Jack replies shortly as he steps back towards where Jamie is watching from under the ice. Their footsteps appear clear on top of him, standing right above his head.

"You should give up now, Jack. Waiting around for the inevitable is a waste of time."

"If you touch him, you're a dead man."

"How sweet. Your first believer is in danger and you come running. You've given me an awfully big insight into your life, Jack; our future meetings should be much less timely."

Jamie watches from beneath the ice as Pitch keeps talking while taking steps forward. Jack is getting scared too, he can feel it.

* * *

Jack doesn't even need to turn around to know who the voice belongs to, but when he does, he sees nothing. He uses his staff to sweep the corners of the room, but Pitch is nowhere to be found, yet his voice is clear as crystal.

"Why are you doing this to him as well? Why would you attack him and not just me? I'm the one you want." Jack says to no one in particular, holding his staff out as a weapon. A demonic laugh erupts from nowhere, startling Jack just a little. He moves back closer to Jamie, who still fidgets violently.

"That would be too easy. Why would I attack you at the peak of power when I know your weakness?"

Jack shivers.

"Don't do this to Jamie."

"This was never about the boy, fool. Dreams are unconscious desires. If the boy wanted to do something about his he would have stopped your deaths over and over again, but wait, he didn't."

Jack closes his eyes and tells himself – it's just a dream, Jack. It's just a stupid nightmare—

Oh wait, it's not.

"Do you know what that means, Jack? The boy doesn't care enough. He doesn't care enough about you to stop these dreams. And year by year, that belief will be whittled down to nothing."

Jack, determined not to show his fear, grips his staff tighter and tries to block the voice out of his mind. It proves difficult. Pitch is already inside his head. The voice is unnervingly close to his ear.

"Then, after Jamie, more and more children will begin to have the same nightmares. They'll watch their beloved Jack Frost die right before their eyes and after a while, they'll figure out there's a reason he dies in their dreams – it's because he's dying in real life as well. Their beliefs will die with you."

The voice suddenly sounds very, very close. Jack edges towards where the voice sounds like it's coming from.

"Then what will you be left with? Nothing. No Jamie—"

He edges closer.

"No children—"

He edges closer.

"No lights—"

He edges closer.

"—nothing."

Jack slams the wardrobe doors open, finding nothing.

When monsters aren't in the closet, they're under the—

Quick as lightning, Jack's feet are swept out from under him but he strikes his staff against a blur of black sand. It makes contact, and he hears Pitch grunt in pain.

"Do as much as you want to me, but don't you dare touch him!" Jack yells, sending a blast of cold air wherever the black blur goes, "don't be such a coward! Pick on people your own size!"

* * *

Jamie violently rams the ice surface with his body – he sees Jack and Pitch's silhouettes violently pushing at each other. He watches as Jack sends cold blasts of air in the Boogeyman's direction, the latter grunting as the staff makes contact with his back. Pitch manages to grab Jack around the torso and fling him across the ice, his body sliding to a lifeless stop a few feet away from Jamie. Pitch follows shortly after, standing above him. He hauls a limp Jack to his feet by the collar.

_If only the Guardians had been there to protect him, as he had tried to protect Jamie. They have to. They have to come and protect him. _

"Where are the Guardians?" Pitch bellows. The sky rumbles thunderously as if in reply.

A fluttering of hummingbird wings, the trickling sound of sand, the thump-thump of a pooka's foot on the ground and the sleigh skidding to a stop on the ice alert him of the guardians' fast arrival.

"Giving ya this one chance, ya bloody sand-sucking, dill-brained scumbag, put the kid down or I'll knock all those teeth outta yer mouth!" he hears Bunnymund yell first.

"Temper, temper, rabbit. We don't want to wake the child. He's enjoying his pretty little nightmare."

Wake?

The Guardians are in his room right now. Jack is unconscious in his room right now. Pitch Black is in his room right now.

He has to wake up.

He tries to smack himself awake but his body doesn't respond. He tries to move an arm, a leg, but all that changes is his level of panic.

_The Guardians have to do something. They have to save Jack. They have to fight for him. _

Through the ice, he watches helplessly as North sets the reindeer on Pitch and they mercilessly buck at him with their antlers. But he easily fends them off with some effort, and a painful snapping sound signals that one of his antlers have been broken off. The reindeer wails in pain.

Tooth sends her army of fairies to zip in and around his face and body, tearing at his cloak, but he bats them off as well, their tiny forms hitting the ice with solid thumps.

Bunnymund hand-combats the nightmare king, and they engage in a fully fledged fistfight before Pitch delivers the final blow with an uppercut to the rabbit's jaw. He recoils back.

Sandy is all they have left.

"Come here, little man. Unless you want to give up first."

_Please, Sandy, hit him with your dream sand, please save Jack, please…_

The little sandman rears his golden whips and flicks them both at the Nightmare King, hitting his mark but not putting him to sleep. Pitch is angry now.

Above the ice, he hears the clipping of hooves. And it sounds like a lot of them.

The Nightmare Army charges forth, and Jamie can't bear to watch. Sandy puts up a good fight on his own, but it won't be long until he falls.

_If only Sandy could make a sand-weapon. A sand-gun from those video games his friends always pay, a sand-dinosaur to run over them in, a sandman army if he has to, c'mon Sandy—" _

And just like that, a roar echoes from above the ice. Two towering figures that can't be anything less than sand-dinosaurs appear out of nowhere. To his right, he sees Sandman has conjured up a clone army of himself, taking on the mare army that is fast approaching. And to his left is Sandy, baring his teeth, with the biggest machine gun he's ever seen.

It's all too perfect.

It's all his wishful thinking.

All his wishes come true.

The revelation hits him like a train.

_Please, Sandy, build a sand-cake and splat it all over Pitch…_

SPLAT.

_Sandy, it has to snow egg bombs right now. But it can only hit the nightmares. _

The shattering of eggshells and the whining of upset mares proves his theories correct. Pitch's words return to him.

_Dreams are just unconscious desires. _

He suddenly feels more alive. The dream is now his canvas and his painting will be a battle of epic proportions. Good will always, always reign over evil.

_North, you reindeer must drive the nightmares coming from the north. Their wonder for the outer world has to be greater than their will to attack you. _

_Tooth, your fairies must take out the nightmares coming from the south. Drive them back with some really embarrassing memories._

_Bunny you must chase the nightmares coming from the east. You have to teach them that nobody races a rabbit. They can only hope to win. _

_Sandy, your sand-dinos have to scare the nightmares out coming from the west. Give them good dreams though, that t-Rex is pretty scary. _

And just like that, his painting is in progress. The Guardians follow his every thought and action, and soon there is not a nightmare on the battlefield.

"What-" Pitch whispers, his voice combed with fear. He hauls Jack's limp body away like a hostage as the guardians approach, the nightmares having fled.

"You'd better put him down, ya black bugger, those nightmares can race." Bunnymund smirks.

"Mm. And when they smell fear, they'll come running." North adds, crossing his arms.

"One more step, and I'll take his boy with me." Jamie hears Pitch threaten – North's footsteps towards the Boogeyman come to a halt.

One last wish.

_Jack, you need to come back. For me. And for your family, the guardians. _

He watches, and waits/

Jack's eyes flutter, then flicker open.

_Now punch out Pitch's lights, because he's a bad man. _

And straight as a bullet, Jack's right fist makes contact with Pitch's jaw. Without as much as a cry, the Nightmare King falls.

_Go back to where you belong, Pitch Black. _

And with a whoosh, he disappears.

* * *

Jack and the other guardians gaze at each other, perplexed. As if they had just woken from a trance.

"Well, you took care of that. Although not in the way I would have expected…"

"Ya just punched him? Was that part of the plan?" Bunny questions.

"I don't know. I knew what I had to do, and I just did it. It was…weird." Jack says wondrously, scratching the back of his head.

Sandy looks to be chuckling. The others turn to look at him.

"What is it, Sandy?" North asks. Sandy simply points over to Jamie, who is now sleeping peacefully, no longer fidgeting. He gives his fellow guardians a satisfied grin.

"Jamie?"

**Nod. **

"How?"

**Dream. **

"When he was dreaming?"

**Nod.**

"Huh. So Pitch was right about one thing – that dreams are unconscious desires." Jack murmurs, then something hits him that makes him smile.

"Jack?"

Jack doesn't say anything, he quietly goes over to sit on the bed next to where Jamie is slumbering. He gently pulls the blankets up over his shoulders from where they slipped down to after all the fidgeting.

"Jamie and I had interconnected nightmares. Pitch was just using Jamie to attack me indirectly. And he tried to convince me that the only reason I kept dying in Jamie's nightmares was because he didn't want to stop it. Like he didn't want to save me because he was going to stop believing."

He gently strokes Jamie's hair.

"But he was wrong."

The other guardians, comprehending this, join Jack and surround Jamie's bed – a kind of eternal, protective barrier.

"Jamie was the one who saved us. I know, I had the same nightmare he did. Even when he was drowning, he had enough strength to believe in us. He believed in us enough to save our lives. In the dream and in real life.

The room is silent for a moment except Jamie's peaceful breathing. Bunnymund is the first to speak up.

"He really is an incredible kid, this one."

They stay like that, in a comfortable silence by Jamie's bed for a few hours. When they're sure he's not to have anymore nightmares, and Sandy has hit him with dreams so sweet he'll wake up with cavities, they pat Jack gently on the back.

The sun peeps out for behind the highest mountain peak in Burgess, and it's time for them to leave.

Jack would've gone back with them up to North's workshop.

If he did, they would've celebrates the second fall of the nightmare kind with some early eggnog and mince pie pre-holiday season. They would've shared stories around the fire as they watched the sun rise.

They would've brought Jack with them if he wasn't still fast asleep, kneeling on the floor of Jamie's bedroom with his head resting on his arms, right next to the ten year old's head.

They don't wake him up. In fact, they don't tell him in any shape or form that they're leaving. The four guardians just slip out of Jamie's bedroom window, without a word. They leave the two together to sleep properly for the firs time in weeks.

They both sleep with little smiles on their faces. The guardians can be sure they're still dreaming about each other.


	5. Ambiguity

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Ambiguity

Prompt: Haze (Day 5)

Characters: Sandy/Manny

a/n: wah it's been too long...short chapter, kind of. As usual, i'm still absolutely taking suggestions, i'm getting round to writing them, and thank you for reading!

* * *

**AMBIGUITY**

Sandy does like a lot of things but he doesn't remember why, or how.

Sandy likes classical music – the likes of Chopin and Haydn please him. How he knows their names escapes him, as does the reason the tinkling of pianos or the mellow sound of violins are sweet to his ears. Whether it's children learning to play or the adults who teach them, Sandy enjoys listening discreetly. But he doesn't like rock music, or jazz, or pop, only classical, and he doesn't even know why.

Sandy likes the smell of pastries; chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake are among his favourites. When their scents waft from the kitchen to the bedroom, he'll nearly stop his dreams. It's a pity he can't eat them. He wonders if they taste as good as they smell.

Sandy likes looking at old family photographs – not even his own, just the ones hanging around the houses he visits at night. They all look so happy together, arms slung over shoulders and grins on faces. Maybe because they remind him of his own family, had he one at all, or a distant memory he shared with them, everything is too far away to recall.

The small things he can't forget, either – he likes it when the noses of children redden in the cold, he likes it when he can see the steam wafting from hot coffee mugs, he likes it when the leaves turn to green to red and people go out of their way to step on them, and hearing the satisfying crunch once they do. There's no reason to why these things all please them – they just do.

His memories of these things, big and small, blur together. It's all a big haze.

Like the sand clouds that whirl over his head when he's in thought, or the shimmer of gold glitter when he's at peace, everything is just confusion sometimes.

The other guardians have learned to live with it for the most part. Occasionally they'll just guess what he's trying to say when they can't decipher the images above his head –and usually they're way off. It makes the sandman frustrated, there's only so much ambiguity to be misunderstood.

It can get lonely too. When the others are laughing and chatting heartily the little man can only smile faintly while his thoughts dance above his head, unnoticed.

He's become used to being forgotten, but it can still hit him with dull pain like nothing else.

_"Well, Sandy, why didn't you say so?"_

Because he can't say anything, that's why.

The Man on the Moon is the only one who knows how he feels. Either he can't say anything, like Sandy, or he prefers to stay quiet, a phenomenal enigma forever in the sky.

They talk sometimes. Not talk, but they exchange words and messages like no one else can. Sandy can feel his presence in the room when they converse, and to his discreet glee, none of the other guardians seem to have the ability he does. They talk about guardianship, children, holidays, happiness, tears and wonder. They laugh and they cry together sharing stories at midnight.

When he sits alone on the floor in the middle of the night, staring up into the sky, the other guardians wonder if old Sandy has finally gone off his head.

But even if by day, he's misunderstood and he's quiet and his thoughts only cause a haze of confusion, by night he's clear as crystal.

He's never really alone after all, at least not by the light of the moon.


	6. For What It's Worth

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: For What It's Worth

Prompt: Flame (Day 6)

Characters: Jack/Jamie

a/n: Made Jack sound a bit like Peter Pan, but I guess they have their similarities, right? Thank you for reading!

* * *

**FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH**

When Jamie is seventeen turning on eighteen, he begins to misjudge the amount of time he has left to be a child. He's growing up too fast for the likes of some, but he himself it completely fine.

So when he gets a text in the middle of the night from a pretty girl in his class who wants him to sneak out and meet her (to do what only God knows), he is happy to rub the sleep, or lack thereof, out of his bleary eyes and run right to her.

Lighting a small candle, he slides out the window with only a tiny flicker of a flame guiding him through the thicket of snow and woodland.

He can picture her. When he taps on her bedroom window, she'll greet him with a bright smile that causes his body to turn to jelly and his heart to stop. Maybe then she'll invite him inside and they'll do cute teenage things, or naughty grown up things, or cover the complete romantic spectrum from one end to the other in one night.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Of course it's too good to be true.

Jamie turns slowly to face a familiar figure – Jack Frost, however in midair with his arms crossed and his expression displeased. It's been a while since they've seen each other, but his guardian looks exactly the same.

"What are you doing here, Jack—"

"Checking up on you, that's what."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your guardian. And because you should also be in your room, asleep. It's nearly two o'clock in the morning!"

Jamie cocks an eyebrow.

"And?" he asks expectantly.

"And—you should be getting eight hours of sleep every night." Jack replies plainly.

Jamie scoffs.

"Who turned you into such a bossy control freak?" he asks, bemused.

Jack's mouth hangs open.

"Jamie—"

"Jack—"

"Take it back. I am not a bossy control freak."

"You kind of are. You're talking just like my dad."

"well, if you weren't acting like such a little troublemaker, I wouldn't have to, would I?"

"Take the words right out of his mouth, why don't you."

Jack floats a little closer to him. Jamie stands his ground, sure to shelter the flame from Jack's frosty presence.

"Jamie."

"Jack."

"Tell me, where in spirits' name do you need to go in the middle of the night?"

"That is…absolutely none of your business."

"You've made it all my business, actually. I should be looking out for you."

"Yeah, when I was like, ten. I'm nearly eighteen, you don't need to worry about me so much anymore. I can take care of myself too, now. You don't need to get so hung up on these kinds of things anymore, alright?"

He notices Jack's sudden distant gaze and sighs deeply, sitting down and leaning back against a tree trunk. Jack follows suit silently.

"Hey, I'm almost as old as you, Jack. You go everywhere, you do everything, and without a guardian. And you're totally fine."

"That may be true, but still, I am a guardian. I'm my own guardian. You're…not."

"You don't think I can take care of myself?" Jamie asks suddenly. Jack shakes his head violently.

"It's not like that. I think you're more than capable of taking care of yourself! I—"

Jack groans and shakes the snow out of his hair in frustration. Jamie keeps his gaze forward and distant.

"Look, Jamie," Jack breathes deeply, "for as long as I can remember, my job was to protect children –like you – you know, keep them out of trouble, look out for them. And then they start to grow up, and I feel like they don't need me anymore."

"And you, Jamie, you're special to me. Real special, it's my job to protect you – I really love this job, Jamie. And now I feel like I'm being forced into early retirement."

He lets his voice trail off softly.

Jamie exhales after a pregnant pause.

"Damn you Jack."

"What?"

"You piss me off, and then you say that."

Jack gives him a little half-hearted smile.

The candle continues to flicker silently.

"You gonna tell me where you were going?" You owe me that much," he finally asks, the seriousness gone from his voice.

"It'd be more fun for you to guess. Plus, it's a secret. My secret." Jamie grins enigmatically.

"Tell me!"

"Can't. Isn't that why they're called secrets?"

Jack rolls his eyes, "is it so private that you can't even drop a hint?"

"Yes, it's my business alone, and I'm going to be late. It's better you don't know anyway."

"Why not?"

"You'll see me in a whole different light. I don't think you're quite ready for that yet."

Jack shakes his head.

"You children, always thinking you know better than us…" he trails off, biting back his words.

"—adults?" Jamie finishes tentatively for him. Jack denies it quickly.

"No! You think you know better than us, your…seniors."

Well, he tried. Jamie tries to stop the grin spreading across his face.

"You were about to call yourself an adult, huh? Jack Frost, the boy who wishes to forever remain a boy," he chuckles at the irony.

"I do. I do want to be a boy forever. But you're growing up too fast and it makes me feel real old is all," the plaintive look on his face soon disappears and he gives the seventeen year old an affectionate punch to the shoulder.

"You'll always believe, right?"

Jamie rolls his eyes, "of course."

"No, really."

"Of course, really." Jamie sense something is bothering Jack, "why do you ask?"

"Have you counted the number of days since we last saw each other?"

"No…"

"Well, can you?"

Jamie adds up the dates in his head but he can't seem to recall the last time he had seen the guardian. Maybe it was a few weeks, a few months even. It was too long ago. He had been busy, after all.

"No."

"Exactly, Jamie, I was worried is all."

"That I'd forgotten you?"

Jack gives him a one shouldered shrug. It's a little adorable. Jamie lets out a laugh.

"You're as crazy as you are bossy, and controlling, and overprotective.

Jack raises an eyebrow.

"You think I could just forget you, is that what you think I would do?" Jamie asks gently. Jack doesn't say anything.

"Come on now, Jack. Just because I've gotten a little older, I've been a little busier, I've met some new people and done some new things doesn't have anything to do with forgetting you, I'd never do something like that, Jack!" he exclaims sincerely, "I'll never forget you, alright?"

Said lightly, but with genuine heart that Jack can hear in his voice

"Thanks, Jamie."

They share a comfortable silence. Jamie hesitates a little before speaking again.

"You know you are pretty much an adult right?" Jack grins sheepishly and shakes his head.

"Not in body or mind, my boy."

"'My boy' makes you sound even older, heads up."

"It does not."

"Please. How old are you again—three hundred, four hundred years old?"

"Three hundred years young, dude. Dawg. My brother…" Jack tries feebly.

"Okay, now you're just trying too hard," Jamie shakes his head but laughing hard, I won't ever let you forget this, you know."

Jamie does, however, forget about the girl – when he was supposed to meet here, and what they were going to do together.

In fact, she completely escapes his mind.

Because he spends the whole night catching up with his favourite person in the world, catching up and laughing and talking and insulting each other by the candlelight.

It's worth more than any pretty girl can give him.

* * *

a/n: suggestions? go ahead (please).


	7. This Simple Phrase

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: This Simple Phrase

Prompt: Formal (Day 7)

Characters: Jack/Tooth, featuring the Guardians

a/n: OK, **Nightmre13**, this one's for you! ("Hmmm I had an idea why don't you make a chapter where they celebrate christmas but jack feels uncomfortable because his been alone for so long"), let's see how this goes, shall we? Thanks for reading!

* * *

**THIS SIMPLE PHRASE**

Jack's never really been one for dinner parties.

"Oi, wake up mate."

Night of Christmas Eve, Jack rubs his eyes to see Bunnymund standing over him, his huge feet thumping at the ground in exasperation.

"Whu—"

"Get ready, we're going on a little trip."

"Where?"

"Up and out."

"Again, where?"

"Tooth's palace, ya dingbat. She hosts a Christmas dinner party every year."

Jack's face scrunches up a bit. Bunnymund raises an eyebrow.

"Problem, mate?"

"No, it's just…a real dinner party?"

"Nah, not really. But you know Tooth…"

"What?"

"It's Tooth." The pooka says it plainly, and upon seeing Jack's indifferent expression, he shakes his head, "mate, she orders her capsules and makes wedding cakes and cleans the workshops from head to toe when she's bored. _When she's bored._"

"So?"

"_So,_ Tooth is a very formal person. She likes being elegant and classy. Bloody hell, frostbite, have ya learned nothing?"

"So you still haven't answered my question yet."

"She's a lady. She expects us all to act like gentlemen."

"It's just dinner parties. It doesn't mean she's all hoity-toity in real life."

"Come on now, frostbite. She calls me Aster."

Upon realizing that he's right, a wave of anxiety washes over him. He hasn't celebrated Christmas with anyone in three centuries.

The four male guardians make their way to the sky palace where Tooth makes her home. It's huge, and it's beautiful, and Jack feels like he's about to fall through the clouds. The fairy is there to greet them at the golden gates, looking appropriately prim and proper. Her wings beat neatly and the feathers on her head are combed back.

"Welcome, gentlemen. Please have a seat."

North leads everyone into the palace with Jack trailing behind a little hesitantly. Tooth catches his arm gently.

"Hey, Jack – I know you're not used to all this formality, but I really want you to join in, okay?"

Jack nods with a smile, "sure, Tooth."

She claps him on the shoulder and goes back inside, beckoning him to follow her.

The inside of the palace is like a fairy tale dream; from the cream marble floor and gold pillars that reach the ceiling, right down to the gold detailing of the cutlery set at the dinner table. Elegant orchestra music begins to play Christmas carols in the background. Jack flinches a little when Baby Tooth flamboyantly thrusts a silk napkin over his lap. Bunnymund stares.

"Oi, mate. Just relax, try to enjoy it. Tooth spends a lot of the year organizing this dinner, okay?" he mutters under his breath.

Jack nods slowly.

"Does everyone want to say a few words of thanks before we eat?" North suggests. Sandy gives him a thumbs up, and Tooth elevates herself to hover in the air.

"Well, thank you for coming. I know these kinds of things may be difficult, and different for some people—"she gives Jack a reassuring look, "—I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and I love spending time everyone every year. I hope we can do this for years to come, I love you all very much."

Everyone nods in agreement. Bunny then stands up, then Sandy, then North. They all say (or not say) similar things – they want everyone to be happy in the holidays, having a safe new year. How they love and care for everyone so much.

Jack doesn't say much.

"—I'd like to thank Tooth for organizing the dinner, it looks fantastic. I love you all, have a wonderful holiday season." North finishes, sitting back down.

All eyes turn to Jack. He glances quickly at Tooth who motions for him to stand up. He does, eventually.

"Uh, well—"

No one says a word. They all sit, smiling, waiting for him to say something.

"I, uh…"

Nothing.

"Merry Christmas, everyone."

He sits back down, not looking up. He can't hear it, but he knows what everyone is thinking. Of course Tooth eventually asks everyone to dig into the entrees, but Jack doesn't contribute much to conversation as the night goes on.

Everyone tells their favourite Christmas stories. He hears North talk about this crazy family who one left a whole years worth of carrot ends for the reindeer under the tree. Bunny mentions something about Easter and Christmas being swapped, and Tooth and Sandy giggle along and make their favourite Christmas jokes – all terrible of course, but it makes everyone smile.

Except Jack.

Nobody mentions it out loud, but they know something is wrong. Especially when he polishes off dessert quickly as he can and asks to use the restroom. Tooth sighs and follows him, "…he doesn't know where the restroom is…"

And sure enough, she finds him sitting on the stairs looking conflicted. She takes a seat next to him.

"Jack—if you didn't like the party, next year we can make it a Christmas movie night instead."

Jack chuckles softly, but shakes his head, "that's not it. It was a great dinner party."

"Then why so serious?" Tooth asks gently. Jack hangs his head a little lower.

"You guys do this every year?" he murmurs softly.

Tooth nods, "every year."

Jack hesitates.

"I…I guess I'm a little—"

"—conflicted?"

"Heh. You always know what to say, Tooth?"

"Mostly. There are a lot of fairies with a lot of teenage angst in there. Much like you."

"I'm not angsty!"

"Then what are you?"

Jack clasps his hands together and plays with his fingers absentmindedly.

"You guys seem so happy together and you love spending time together and you laugh and talk and that kind of thing."

Tooth nods and smiles, "because we love to spend time with each other. When things get busy we don't do a lot of that, you know."

"Yeah, must be nice though, right?"

"What?"

"Spending time together every year."

"It's one of my favorite times of year." Tooth says wistfully, then notices the expression on his face hasn't changed, "what's this about, Jack?"

He holds his hands out and exhales softly.

"I've never had anyone to celebrate Christmas with before. It's always just been me. And I think I've forgotten how to celebrate it with people. You guys were so grateful and happy and joyful. I felt like I was ruining everything."

Tooth is silent for a moment, then she turns to him and shakes her head with a chuckle.

"Jack, we love you. You're part of our family now. And that means that you'll be part of our traditions year after year after year as well."

"I feel like I'm sucking the light out of your Christmas lights and blowing out the candle flames whenever I'm in the room—"he murmurs.

"—so we'll light them again." Tooth reassures him.

"I don't know any Christmas carols—"

"—we'll sing them together."

"And I don't have any Christmas memories to share with everyone—"

"—we'll make them together."

"I've been alone for too long, Tooth—"

"—you're not alone anymore."

And she's right.

She gives his shoulder a little squeeze and returns to the dinner hall, leaving the door open for him to come back in. He hears the male voices whispering to each other and Tooth reassuring them, all silence.

Jack waits.

_"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…" _

It's Tooth's voice, singing sweet and soft.

_"…Jack Frost nipping at your nose…" _

The door opens a little more so he can see into the dinner hall – Tooth stands at the head of the table, holding out her arms.

_"…yuletide carols being sung by a choir…" _

Her sweet voice is joined by North's low, Russian-accented baritone.

_"…and folks dressed up like Eskimos…" _

He hears Bunny chime in reluctantly, and so does Sandy, a rapid succession of Christmas images flashing over his head.

_"…everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help make the season bright…" _

Jack stands to appear in the doorway.

_"…tiny tots with their eyes all aglow…" _

A chorus of little fairies join in with a harmony.

_"…you'll find it hard to sleep tonight…" _

Tooth flutters over to take his hand and sit him down at the head of the table. And eventually, she gets him to join in.

Their harmony is off pitch, they stumble over some of the words, and the entire thing sounds completely strange and unusual, but they make it all the way to the end with smiles that could illuminate the whole world if they wanted them to.

_"So I'm offering this simple phrase…." _

Jack stands up.

"Excuse me everyone, I'd like to…say something that I should've said at the beginning of dinner."

The four guardians' voices fade away, leaving the little fairies to continue singing softly in the background.

_"…to kids from one to ninety-two…" _

"I know I'm not the easiest to deal with, and sometimes I act out of hands and out of control—"

_"…although it's been said, many times, many ways…" _

"But I just want to take this opportunity while we're all together, to tell you something I probably won't ever get to express in my lifetime—"

_"…happy holidays, to you." _

"—I love you guys, a lot. Merry Christmas."

* * *

A/N: suggestions? put them down here somewhere... -please-


	8. Bright Spot

**North to South, East to West **

Chapter: Bright Spot

Prompt: Companion (Day 8)

Characters: Jack/Baby Tooth

a/n: i'm really bad at updating, but i'm getting there. thanks for reading!

* * *

**BRIGHT SPOT**

Jack Frost is tired.

Only a few months as the guardian of fun, and Jack can't comprehend how the rest of them do it, constantly on their toes and ready for anything. North and Bunnymund spend their whole lives working tirelessly for one night a year. Tooth and Sandy zip around the world every night giving presents under pillows and sweet dreams, working around the clock because sometime, somewhere, a child is asleep.

And Jack? He works by seasons. In during winter, out during summer. Yet the one period of time he has to actually work, he's tired out by the time the sun goes down and has to rest, making him the subject of his fellow guardians' scrutiny and concern.

"He's tuckered out, the little dill. Before midnight too."

"Aster, it's only the first year. Give him time, he'll adjust. His workload is a bit heavy for him, that's all."

"Pfft, come on, Tooth. What's a little snow and some freezing here, freezing there every winter? Compared to you, the little bloke's got it easy."

"Don't get your tail in a twist; there are a lot of places he has to go. He's new at this."

"Making it snow, or causing trouble? Because I'm darn sure he's been doing that for a bloody three hundred years."

"Just give it a rest, Aster?"

Jack doesn't open his eyes until he hears the bunny and the fairy leave him be. He's getting used to being scrutinized, especially being the youngest and having the biggest expectation thrust upon him after his first encounter with Pitch. Bloody Boogeyman.

Whenever he sleeps, now there are two things he has to deal with – the constant uncertainty of a lingering nightmare that might still be around, and listening to new daily criticism/sympathy by the fairy and the bunny.

When he's sure they've left the room, his eyes flutter open. He's in North's workshop; he doesn't remember falling asleep there. Groaning and lifting himself off the ground, Jack goes to where the globe has caught his eye in its ever-present radiance.

Sandy's probably halfway around the world somewhere, chasing away bad dreams. Tooth too, now that she's left the room. And even now, months before Christmas, he can hear North's troop of yetis at work in preparation for the big day.

Sometimes he feels empowered. A year ago, he was a myth that nobody believed in, and now he's a somebody. But the more he learns about the guardians, the less he's sure he is one.

He's too much like the children he's meant to protect. He's forever going to be eighteen, still susceptible to childish curiosity and lost hopes and naivety and disappointment, like every child. His grown companions can afford to laugh in the face of danger. Not him. Sometimes he wonders if the man in the moon made the wrong decision. Maybe he should've picked Cupid or Mother Nature or someone else more suitable for the job. Because Jack Frost, he's still a kid too, and forever he will be/

What if something bad happens, and he can't protect the kids? It wouldn't be the first time he made a bad decision. He doesn't want to ruin Easter again; he doesn't want to ruin anything.

There's too much room for things to go wrong if he stays a guardian.

Sighing and staring up at the moon, his thoughts are interrupted by the tiny sound of beating wings. A little hummingbird-fairy perches herself on his shoulder. He looks over to see Baby Tooth beaming up at him, her smile brighter than the moon above them. He returns her grin halfheartedly. Baby Tooth falters and she presses herself into his cheek as some unusual display of affection. It triggers a small, sad smile.

"I'm in a weird place, Baby Tooth." Jack murmurs, sitting down on the ground and staring up into the sky full of stars. Baby Tooth hums in response.

"I don't know how I long I can still do this for, you know?"

Baby Tooth turns her head, puzzled.

"I know that the man in the moon told them I was supposed to join them, but that was for Pitch, right? They only needed me to defeat Pitch, but now he's gone and I…" Jack sighs, "I don't know, maybe they don't need me anymore?"

The tired guardian rubs his eyes; oblivious to the little fairy's slow by sure understanding of what he's saying.

"I know I took an oath, and I know I have a job to do. But if I wasn't a guardian, I could still look after children…I'd just have less responsibilities and less obligations and less everything, you know? And they'd still believe in me, they just wouldn't notice if I was gone, would they? I only come around once a season—"

The little fairy widens her eyes and begins shaking her head furiously.

"So they _wouldn't_ miss me?"

The head shaking becomes more violent. Jack sighs. As if in response, Baby Tooth zips behind his ear and tugs on the hood of his jumper, pulling him backwards.

"—hey!"

Baby Tooth tugs him over to the huge globe illuminated by the lights of believers. She flies around it quickly in circles around it, looking for something, eventually making herself dizzy, but finds her mark; she lands on the brightest spot in the millions of lights.

Jack's bright spot.

"Jamie?"

Baby Tooth nods, and then catapults herself into Jack's arms. She hits his chest with a dull thud, but reaches out with both tiny arms and clings on.

It's familiar.

A familiar feeling.

He couldn't forget, the first time he was ever hugged, it was Jamie. The feeling hit him like a train, in the best way possible. He had never felt that feeling in his life, being loved and being wanted. It was all so foreign, yet wonderful. A wonderful feeling. And that's what she's trying to tell him.

Yeah, maybe he still falls asleep before some of the kids in the world because he's too tired from making it snow. Maybe he's still a kid who's always going to say that way. And yeah, maybe he isn't the best guardian yet. But he's someone's; he's someone's guardian. Someone in the world needs him and wants to believe in him, and that's good enough. Whether it's one or one thousand children to protect, whether he's a guardian or not, he'll do his job to keep them safe.

He lets Baby Tooth fall into his hands. She flutters her wings, shakes her head, and beams up at him. He smiles back in wordless thanks.

"You know, you should be a guardian too, Baby Tooth. You know why?"

She shakes her head, puzzled.

"Because you protect me."

The little fairy's cheeks glow bright pink and she gives him an adoring smile. Jack grins and sets her on his shoulder.

"You and me, we're in this together, okay?"


	9. In Time

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST **

Chapter: In Time

Prompt: Move

Characters: Manny/The Guardians

a/n: short one o.o thanks for reading!

* * *

**IN TIME **

There's an eye in the sky. Manny's eye – it might be blue, or green, or bright pink in some imaginations, but none of the guardians have ever seen it to say for sure.

He's always been there, there's never been a time or place he wasn't.

It's both comforting and a burden.

They know he's watching their every move. Waiting for something to happen, maybe expecting something better out of them. Better yet, he's probably already predetermined each of their destinies and is just waiting to see if they live up to his expectations.

For North, he's the head honcho; there's a lot riding on his back. The others see him as a grandfather figure, Manny probably sees him as the eldest born son who wants to make his father proud – hopefully. The others, well, Manny already knows they're always getting into trouble. They probably know he's watching them in good times and in bad. He watches every time Bunnymund sneaks down to the pantry to grab a midnight snack, or when Jack purposely 'borrows' one of North's toys and doesn't give it back.

(He was always a bit of a kleptomaniac; that's probably what comes with growing up alone and without anything or anyone around for three hundred years.)

Tooth and Sandy, Manny will rarely catch them at their lowest. Both are always so eager to do what's right, and what they believe is true, and just. It must be tiring, and a little cumbersome. They always play the good cops to Bunnymund and Jacks' bad ones. For once, they should let their hair down, just for a little while wouldn't hurt.

Oh, those guardians. They sure do give Manny strife sometimes, but not a day goes by that they don't appreciate that he's there, watching over them.

In times of trouble, in times of need. It's just nice to know there will ll always be somebody who's got your back. Especially when sometimes it feels like the entire world is falling down (only once has it ever been said literally), Manny will always be the one they can depend on. Never scrutinizing on an accent, never causing any mischief, never just waiting, never just giving motherly advice, never just trying to laugh everything off. He just watches, but they know he's reliable, someone they can trust.

There's an eye in the sky – they don't know what color; they don't know what shape, or size, or what the face they belong on looks like, or even what he's like as a person.

But it's full of love – that, they can forever be sure of.

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a/n: completely forgot to include this last chapter - suggestions are very much appreciated (please, guys, getting stuck here)


	10. Contrary

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST **

Chapter: Contrary

Prompt: Denial (Day 13)

Characters: Jack/Bunnymund, Tooth/North (platonic of course)

a/n: Day 10 (Silver) is meant to be today, but since it's easter weekend, let us celebrate with an easter chapter...(also i haven't gotten around to writing a couple of the next ones) please enjoy!

* * *

**CONTRARY**

Jack Frost is eighteen years old, and there comes a time when eternal youth becomes both a blessing and a curse. His fellow guardians start to wonder if he'll ever grow up in mind and spirit, if not in body.

His teenage angst begins to kick in during the warmer seasons. Sometimes it's the little things that get on his nerves, sometimes it's what North or Bunnymund say to him – it's probably just hormones. But occasionally when he's bored and feeling trivial, it can get dangerous. He won't be afraid to slam doors and scare elves. Sometimes he finds it completely fine to lose his temper at everyone. It leaves the others feeling like their child is growing up, if he could ever been considered a normal child in the first place. The worst thing is that he'll be eighteen forever, and the angst might never stop.

For the most part though, he's just reckless and too curious for his own good, he's not rebellious unless he has nothing to do.

Thankfully, when Spring arrives and Easter is near, Bunnymund is the one getting busy.

"Well, everyone, I'll see you pack of dingbats in a few months," he announces suddenly on the first day of the new season. Everyone except Jack nods and tells him their goodbyes.

"Wait, wait, why is he leaving?" Jack asks quickly.

"It's nearly Easter. He's the busiest in the spring because he has all those eggs to paint." Tooth says, patting Jack on the back as they watch the bunny slap his foot on the ground twice and shoot down the tunnel that appears.

Jack just watches the ground in silence for a few moments, it having swallowed Aster without leaving a trace of the tunnel being there on the first place.

"Jack?"

The winter spirits snaps out of the reverie, shrugging off Tooth's hand and picking up his staff. Tooth flutters after him, stopping him from riding any winds.

"Jack, you know, you should probably leave him be."

"Where did he go?" Jack asks. For a second, he looks like a little lost lamb.

"To his warren in Australia, remember we went there last Easter…and the Pitch thing happened?"

The Pitch thing was never spoken of unless in the direst of circumstances. Jack especially didn't have to be reminded of it. Probably because of that, Aster had resorted to the meadow being off-limits to everybody except him all year round.

"No hard feelings mate. It's just business reasons, alright?" Bunnymund had assured Jack once.

So every spring, the bunny stays hunched up in his meadow down under painting eggs by the thousands. He hardly shows up at the North Pole anymore, leaving the other four guardians in each others' company without him.

The weather gets warmer as summer nears as well, leaving everyone hot and bothered, but Jack most of all.

"Stupid weather…" he grumbles one day on a particularly warm afternoon.

"It's almost summer, my boy."

"I know that, thanks to the stupid heat waves that keep me holed up in this stupid lifeless place. Stupid…"

"It wasn't lifeless a few months ago. The elves and yetis were busy as bees."

"At least it was freezing cold."

"You could lower the temperature a little if the heat makes you uncomfortable, right?" North suggest lightly.

The smallest flame sets the forest on fire. His little suggestion is enough to turn the winter spirit into a defensive, guarded monster.

"You think it's that easy to be a winter guardian?"

"No—"

"You think it's easy controlling the cold? Summer _kills _me. _You_ try lower the temperature all around the world, _then_ tell me that it's easy."

"I didn't'—"

"_Then _you can tell me it's easy enough for me to do it like _that_!"

Snapping his fingers for a lingering effect, Jack leaves the room, not afraid to let the door slam shut. Tooth barely escapes being squashed in the door frame.

"Everything alright, North?" she asks, starting back at the closed door. They can both hear his bare feet slapping on the floor all the way up to the globe room. North grumbles in exasperation.

"Yes, it's alright, Toothiana."

She nods and flutters over to an empty spot on the workbench. Christmas having passed only a few months ago, North has been fairly free with his schedule, and spends most of his spare time experimenting with new toys for the next holiday season.

Tooth watches as he plays with a little metal ball sliding down a series of ramps. One of the slopes appears to be too short and North grunts as he adjusts it, rolling up the sleeves of his thick coat, not noticing Tooth's forlorn expression.

"Hey, North. Something's bothering me."

"Yes, Tooth, something is bothering me also, but it will be important in a few months when winter hits, so we'd better be nice to it—" North grunts. Tooth sighs.

"It's not just angst making Jack angry, is it? Teenage hormones don't make you _that_ hot tempered – he's never lashed out directly at any of us before."

North looks up and puts the little metal ball back to the top of the track. It balances meticulously on the peak.

"My teenage years were long, long ago, my dear. I wouldn't remember how I was growing up."

He returns to his contraption, endlessly replaying the final slope on the toy, adjusting the tracks so the ball rolls smoothly down and up, but to no avail.

"Not enough momentum in that one." Tooth adds lightly.

North grunts in response, evidently still ticked off. He studies it from every angle.

"It's all about balance," he says, not taking his eyes off the toy, "the momentum of the ball needs to counterbalance the slope of the track so it can get up and over this mountain hill—"

And it hits her.

"Say that again?"

"The momentum of the ball must counterbalance the slope of the track so it can get up and…" North murmurs.

"Yes! That's exactly the answer!" she exclaims suddenly, jumping off the bench and hovering in midair excitedly.

"What?"

"That's Jack and Aster!"

"What are you even saying—"

"Jack is the momentum and Aster is the slope!"

"You've lost me, Toothiana."

"It's all about balance, and our team is out of balance because Jack's missing his opposing force!" Tooth zips around North excitedly, "he's acting up because he misses Aster, that's why he's been such a loser lately!"

North raises an eyebrow disdainfully.

"Bunnymund?"

"Yes!"

"They don't get along at all, Toothiana."

"Exactly right, I know!"

"You think he _misses_ Bunnymund?"

"Yes! He just doesn't know it."

The tooth fairy tracks down Jack, and finds him sulking in the glove room with Baby Tooth. His little companion dances along his staff but only elicits a slight smirk every now and then.

"Hey, Baby Tooth, give us a minute, would you?"

Baby Tooth nods obediently and zips away.

"Are you alright, Jack?"

Jack looks up at her, "I'm alright, you?"

"Good."

Tooth sits opposite him, her chin resting on a propped up arm. Her head turns to the side, thoughtful.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks gently.

"Stuff. Kids, snow, ice cream, sleds—"

"—Aster?"

Jack's face scrunches up in disdain, "Bunnymund? No." He turns to her, his expression defensive, "why would you ask that?"

Tooth's bright eyes and soft smile don't falter.

"He is away, and he won't be back for a while, I just thought he might be on your mind is all."

"Well, in that case, no, he isn't." he replies, resting his head on his arms and blowing his silver hair out of his eyes.

She's still smiling in that tender, motherly way, because despite his denial, she knows he's right.

"Do you miss him?"

Jack's head snaps quickly to the front to stare at her in disbelief, as if he doesn't quite believe what he's hearing.

"Eh?"

"I said, do you miss him?"

"What—"

"I think – no, actually, I know – that you miss Aster."

Jack furiously shakes his head with a frown, sitting up frantically and creating distance between them. It's endearing to watch his defense slipping and failing.

"What? No. No, no, no, no. I don't miss him."

"Jack—"

"I don't miss him," Jack gets up from his seat, shaking his head, "he can stay in Australia s long as he likes, I don't care. He can do whatever he wants."

Tooth grins and flies over to hover around him. Jack tries to shoo her away.

"Tooth, seriously—"

"Jack, seriously—"

"What do you want from me?"

"Oh please Jack, don't try to deny it. You miss him. You wish he was around to insult you, and push you around, and call you a dill. You wish he was around to call you out for your weird habits and bloody stupid actions sometimes."

Jack doesn't try to retaliate, he keeps his gaze straight and square, and Tooth knows she's hit him right where the truth is.

"Because you know, deep down, the only reason you miss him is because he's your family, and you love him."

Jack takes everything in for a silent moment, then proceeds to shrug halfheartedly.

"Even if I did, and I'm not saying I do, I'm just some annoying kid to him."

Tooth motions Jack to sit down with her in front of the globe. He reluctantly does.

"You remember Easter as a kid?" she asks him gently. He shakes his head.

"Can I remind you then?"

He nods.

"When you were ten years old, you went to Burgess' annual Easter egg hunt. You and your sister, both. All the kids in the town gathered for that one hours to find as many eggs as they could – you know they still do that now?"

Jack smiles a little.

"Well, that year was particularly hard for you to find any eggs. Most kids left with a whole basket, but you only left with one."

"You went home with your sister, sad that you didn't find any eggs, even though she had a basketful of them, you didn't ask to take any because she had worked so hard to find them and she was really happy."

"When you guys got home, your parents were waiting in the kitchen. Your sister was really excited to show them – she ran past you to show off her basket. You wanted to as well, Jack, but she nudged you as you went and you dropped your only egg. It shattered to pieces."

"You didn't even make it to the kitchen. You cried and cried in the front garden and they didn't hear you because you didn't even go inside. You stayed in that yard for another hour or so, looking under every lead and flower, hoping and praying that the Easter Bunny had left you a little special gift somewhere. You searched and searched, but there was nothing there."

"You went back up to your room, still crying a little and lonely. You opened the door, and – there was an egg sitting on your bed. You ran over to it, overjoyed that you found one egg. So you went to put it on your table – but you found another egg."

"Then you found another, and another, and another. You know how?"

"Because the Easter Bunny had come for you. Because _you_ were selfless enough to reward you sister, and in return, he rewarded you. "

Jack is quiet for a minute after she finishes, both hands clutching his staff.

"I don't even remember that happening," he murmurs. Tooth gently puts a hand on his back.

"You think somebody like Bunnymund does that for all kids? No, he's tired enough as it is, especially at Easter. But he did it for you, because he cared about you," she assures him.

"That was years and years ago."

"And you think that kind of compassion just goes away because you grow up a bit and become one of us to live forever? No. If anything, it gets stronger."

She gets up, fluttering her wings, "so if you think you're just another annoying thing he has to deal with, think again."

With that, she leaves the room, and with no Jack racing after her, shooting down her argument, no yelling, no defense, she knows he believes it.

So when Bunnymund finally returns home, and Jack bowls him over in a tackle-hug, the others can only smile when the Pooka pushes him off in pure confusion – "what the hell do ya think yer doin'?" – and turn to each other with winks and knowing smiles. Tooth nudges North as Jack fumbles with his words trying to defend his uncharacteristically affectionate actions.

"Balance is restored."

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_a/n:_as always, suggestions down there .. (please) or tell me what you think...or something...okay til next time!


	11. Rosy

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Rosy

Prompt: Prepared (Day 11)

Characters: Tooth/Jack

a/n: alright doing prompts a little out of order, only because i'm a little stuck still. but **Abby09**, it's been a while but here is yours (I would like to see Tooth in a more feminine role-but I feel people forget she's also a woman, sometimes-surely it is sometimes forgot by the guys that she is a lady..? How does being the only female of the group interacts with the other members?-Oh, also can we see Sandy and Tooth cuddle?), hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**ROSY **

Tooth's never really been in love; forever working she's never had the time. If she had been as a human, she doesn't remember it now. It's a foreign feeling; sometimes it's a warm glow that spreads from her head down to her toes, sometimes it's when her heart and stomach do acrobatics in his presence, sometimes it's just a numbness to all emotions except it – love.

Little things about him make her smile. The way his eyes crinkle a little around the edges when he smiles at her, his amused reluctance to have his unkempt silver hair fixed by her, the way he tells all the men goodbye and saves a little wave just for her when they part ways.

It's not like they see each other so often anymore. The Guardians are busy creatures and they all have their own business to handle .Tooth hardly has time for love in between teeth, children and more teeth. But he's always occupying a little void of her thoughts wherever she goes; he's always on her mind.

She doesn't even know how to do anything about it. All she wants him to know is how much her heart swells when he smiles at her, how her pulse races faster when he gives her so much as a look, how infectious his happiness is – when she sees him throwing around snowballs and making snow angels in Burgess, she can't help but feel butterflies doing gymnastics in her stomach.

But it doesn't even matter anymore. That boy Jack Frost has got her hook, line and sinker.

The other guardians know, and that makes her the object of their amusement. What they know of is her little schoolgirl crush, being dragged along by the coattails of her affection.

It is hard being the only girl in that group of fellas. There's never any privacy to do her own 'girly' things – picking flowers, sewing, humming to the love song that's been stuck in her head all morning – and when she does do them, she can always be sure that the boys are snickering behind her back.

They're good people, they do mean well, but they don't really understand her.

Valentine's Day is particularly hard for her. The boys don't bother with flowers or chocolates or feelings. The baby fairies throw themselves at him, giving little kisses as he passes, and much to her disdain, he always returns a lopsided grin and a wink. And what sucks is, she's the one who has to fan them all back to consciousness after that.

On February 14th, she sees him planting a kiss on Baby Tooth's tiny cheek. It's all in the good of his conscience, and she knows it; but it kills her from the inside out. She can help but laugh out of sheer stupidity when she feels tears pooling in her eyes.

Idiot, idiot.

Of course when she rushes past the others, they all stop her and ask what's wrong.

Bunnymund is the worst at this kind of thing. Emotion is something he avoids, most of the time – a single tear spills and it may as well be acid or poison and the person it belongs to is utterly toxic. He doesn't know what to do or say – most days it makes her feel better how amusingly pathetic he is, but today is not one of most days.

"Tooth; yer alright?" he asks her, considerably softly. Tooth angrily rubs the tears out of her eyes.

"No…yes."

His face is blank as a sheet.

"Eh, so, no?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Yes, you're fine?"

"No, I meant, yes, everything's fine."

His ears droop in confusion.

Tooth shakes her head in dismay when Bunnymund doesn't reply –"just forget it, Aster,"

North is kind, but never on point. He knows all the reassuring lines, he's rehearsed them backwards and forwards – as Santa Claus, he's the king of all kids, their problems and insecurities included.

"Toothiana, you can talk to me about anything," he says gently, patting her on the back.

She smiles plaintively.

"I feel like I'm falling."

North raises an eyebrow.

"Falling….please explain a little further."

"Falling. Into a deep dark hole. But, I don't think I mind where I land because I know it'll be safe. And right. It'll feel right. I'll feel like I'll belong there."

"Toothiana, I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to tell me," he clarifies gently. Suddenly his eyes gleam with realization, and Tooth thinks to herself, maybe once – this once – he'll get through to her.

"I'm not an expert on these kinds of things. But what I know is, life is made for one to take chances. Not for being holed up in your palace all day.

Tooth murmurs, "yes…"

"Whatever your heart tells you, you do it."

Tooth says, "yes…"

"And when life gives you a chance, you grab it, you seize it!" "

Tooth exclaims, "yes!"

"So if leaving the tooth palace and building another somewhere else is what your destiny has set out for you, it is what must be done! While you still have time – we all do, to be honest – set your heart free!"

She shouldn't have hoped so high.

Sandy is, without question, the one she can turn to. He doesn't verbalize at all, but he can say so much. Nothing from his mouth, little from his hands, mostly from his head, all from his heart.

They like sitting together alone in silence sometimes. She'll be upset; he'll lend an ear, and by the hour gone, all the problems in the world will have gone away.

"You ever been in love, Sandy?"

He ponders this for a moment, then shrugs apologetically.

"It's a weird feeling you know. A good feeling, absolutely. But it puts you in a different place."

He turns his head to the side quizzically.

"Okay, imagine this."

"You're walking down the street. The trees are green, the sky is blue, and the sun is so bright you can't tell what color it could possibly be. Everything's dandy, but it's all familiar, ordinary, kind of."

"And then, love happens."

"You know that one special person? That's the one, that person you have a little place for in your heart; suddenly you see the world through them, through that person. You start seeing the world from behind a love-tinted magnifying glass. What you know is familiar, but stained by this person who's taking over your whole everything."

"Everything you see is them - in the grass, in the people, in the streets. You begin to think about what they might be thinking about. You being to laugh about what they might think is funny. You conform yourself to what they might find beautiful. Your insides just begin to swim in thoughts of them and everything they do, and everything they think and everything anything they are."

"And it's because love is everything in that moment. It might be for a second, or for a lifetime, but when it's there, it's your whole world."

Sandy sits forward, his hands resting in his curled up palms. He sinks dreamily into Tooth's tale, until she chuckles and nudges him gently.

"Was that just really weird to listen to?" she asks. He shakes his head and gives her a smile.

And then a hug. He wraps his arms around her and pats her gently on the back. It's comforting, and reassuring. He gives her the feeling that everything is going to be okay, even if she's confused and doesn't know what she's doing.

"Everything alright?"

She looks up and sees him. He just stands there with an immense look of concern on his face. Or maybe confusion.

She stands up, "oh, hey."

"You been crying, Tooth?" he rushes over to study her face in closer detail. His face and eyes and those stupidly perfect teeth of his are close to hers.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

His hands rest lightly on her shoulders, looking her conveniently in a position close to him. Sandy watches expectantly; her back is to him, but she can feel his gaze.

She could just lean in and give him a kiss, a 'happy valentine's day', and that would say everything for her. It would be so easy.

That's not what she does. Instead, she shrugs him off gently.

"I'm fine."

And she really is, probably.

Except for the fact she probably can't tell him how she feels. The same way she probably doesn't feel the same way, and if she happened to let it slip anyway, it would probably be a lot harder on her than on him. He would still be smiling, maybe he'd be confused or perplexed as to _why_, Tooth, why, you're like a mother to me. He would probably apologize, reject her, and smile again.

"But we can still be friends, right?" is what he would say.

That would definitely break her heart more than anything else – it's only sad because that's where they are now. Just friends. And he breaks her heart more and more each day.

Valentine's Day is too much work, and love is hard. Tooth should probably leave it up to Cupid.

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a/n: as always, thank you for reading and reviewing, and please leave your thoughts and suggestions with me, i love them!


	12. Wishfulness

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Wistfulness

Prompt: Knowledge

Characters: Sandy

a/n: Sandy-centric, initially part of chapter 5, amiguity, but I decided to split them up. It had a good reception so I hope this one does too! thank you for reading-

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**WISTFULNESS**

Sandy knows a lot of things. Countless centuries do give you more than a lifetime of knowledge.

Only God knows how long Sandy's been alive. Even the Sandman himself has forgotten how many years had passed him by. Years and years of accumulated experiences and knowledge makes the tiny man very wise.

As a result, everybody expects him to have all the answers to their questions.

He's the sandman, not superman. It gets frustrating.

No, North, he doesn't know how to say Merry Christmas in Japanese or Dutch or Estonian. No, Tooth, he doesn't know how many premolars a shark has. No, Bunnymund, he doesn't know how many numbats there are in Australia.

(He doesn't know what numbats are.)

In fact, everything comes in blurs with him. The years of information that have passed by him begin to merge together in an indecipherable cloud until he forgets it completely.

Only a few things are clear as day to him.

He knows North always forgets to shut the door of the workshop. He always leaves a plate of unfinished cookies on his workbench, that the elves like to finish off. North is organized enough, but forgetful.

He knows Tooth is scared when she murmurs to herself. She eats when she's stressed, she doesn't stay still when she's angry, and she counts the number of tooth capsules she has when she's anxious.

He knows Bunnymund has a more emotional spot than everyone else, it's just hidden underneath layers and layers of denial and stubbornness. You just need a pickaxe to hack through his outer shell.

He knows Jack's been crying when he comes down from the globe room after a long time being gone. His hair will be a little messier than usual, and his hands and feet are curled up. But the real giveaway is the soft wetness in his eyes that is hard to spot under his grey, icy defense of a stare.

Sometimes Sandy thinks he knows everyone else better than he knows himself.

He can't decide on a favorite color – it's between red and yellow on most days, occasionally green. He has no idea why he gets frustrated when he hears rock music, he shuts every single door he walks in and out of, even if he's been asked to leave it open. He has a fear of going to sleep, without explanation. He only speaks when spoken to, even though he doesn't speak, he can't read very well, he dislikes even the thought of going to school, despite probably going as a human child.

All strange, unexplainable things that can't seem to figure out about himself, why he's like this, why he likes and dislikes these things, why he's like this without any memories of his past life.

He's had to make up who he is along the way of becoming a guardian. For reasons unknown, he's become this – a quiet, creative, conservatively fierce little sandman – sometimes he doesn't really like who he is, and wishes he was more like determined Bunnymund, passionate Tooth, brave Jack or thoughtful North.

But his guardians won't let him change a thing about himself – another thing that escapes his mind every now and then; he means so much to them, now and forever, more than he'll ever know.

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a/n: reminder that all suggestions are considered (like, a lot, I'm stuck, hence infrequent updating...)


	13. Gold

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Gold

Prompt: Silver (10)

Characters: Jack/Family

a/n: short one, but finally got around to doing Silver...enjoy!

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**GOLD**

Before he was silver, he was gold.

Of course Jack wasn't aware of this, but his family was.

The week after the 'accident' - as they would call it, they didn't dare refer to it as anything else – his sister, mother and father were in a state of mental nonexistence; not sure if what they were living was life or a dream.

But they came to terms with it. They had to, after one too many sleepless nights.

His mother packed up his old room, and any reminders of him lying around the house. Maybe because they reminded her too much of a life they no longer had, or she wasn't sure what she was doing existing any longer. She felt like her life had lost its purpose. She was living, but no alive – dead black eyes and a soulless body was all that were left.

His father became numb. Not sure what to make of it either, he would sit in his chair for hours on end, just looking out into nothingness. It pained him to even think about his son, look down the hallway to the empty room. Everything just reminded the man of him; his smile, the sound of his laugh, his audacity, everything and anything. It became very exhausting very quickly.

His sister was hurting most of all, but nobody could tell. Her mind was in overdrive, time could slow to a stop and she wouldn't notice a thing. She could still see the hand reaching out to her, a crack of ice and just like that, stillness and silence. She'd wake up crying in the middle of the night for no reason at all, then cry herself to sleep until there were no more tears left.

But no closure can take place without loss, they are odd partners. The funeral was quiet and on a dark clouded day, an event Jack would have found boring and tiresome.

His family smiled at his realization.

But they lay flowers on the pond, their yellow petals withering away in winter's bitter cold, until there was nothing left of them but frosted stems.

The next winter, they would lay another bouquet, and as it did the previous, the petals died and were swept away by the wind.

And the next winter, and the following winter, and the winter after that.

They said their goodbyes thousands of winters passed, there would never be a beginning or an end to the lapse of yellow petals shriveling in the winter chill and their replacements coming soon after.

It never just became a routine rite of passage, they never forgot what they were missing.

Silver as he is now, he was still their golden boy.

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a/n: for the...three of you who requested something, I think I'll get around to doing them! give me some time haha, i love suggestions, so keep them coming!


	14. The Quirks of Being a Wallflower

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: The Quirks of Being a Wallflower

Prompt: Thanks

Characters: Jack, The Guardians

a/n: long time no update! so those of you still following, thank you so much (: nearly halfway through...

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**THE QUIRKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER**

Family is love; love for every tiny aspect and every little detail of their being. Members of the family become accustomed to everybody's little quirks and unusual habits, but love all the same and just as much.

The guardians, they're like a family, at least, they've reluctantly grown into one. North and Tooth are cast in the protective parent figures - North the lovable father and Tooth the sweet and caring mother. Aster and Sandy are the brothers, the bunny overbearing and the sandman endearing. And then there's Jack, the youngest brother, caught somewhere in the middle.

He doesn't mind though, being unloved for three hundred years did something to him; lowered his expectations or heightened his tolerance levels maybe. But any kind of family, no matter how busy everyone is, no matter how much they fuss and fight, no matter how mismatched and eccentric they all are, feels like home to him.

He's adjusted to everyone's individual quirks, even in the limited time they spend together. Tooth likes to talk to herself, a lot, even when the little fairies are around - mostly about teeth, but occasionally cars, stars and other unusual, irrelevant things. Bunnymund has a bad habit of thumping his feet when he's irritated, lonely, bored and overjoyed, at which point his fellow guardians have to watch their step as not to drop into any unexpected appearing tunnels. North falls asleep, often when he's working and nobody dares bother him while he sleeps because he's not a morning person. Sandy keeps to himself, daydreaming, the only problem being his every thought is always visible to everybody – his more _unusual_ daydreams are under the scrutiny of his fellow guardians.

Most of the time, Jack leaves them be and remains a bystander. In the light of all their idiosyncratic quirks, he considers himself pretty regular – he doesn't have conversations with himself, snore like a bulldozer or daydream about weird things. His fellow guardians disagree.

"You don't think you have any quirks? Come on now, Jack." Tooth scoffs with a giggle.

"Well, tell me then. What do I do that's weird? At least I don't talk to myself all the time."

Tooth gives him the stink eye.

"That's just me thinking out loud!"

"You could think a little quieter, especially at 4AM in the morning—"

"Well, you do this weird, over-the-shoulder smirk thing sometimes. Like when you make a point, and it turns out right, you do this—"

She demonstrates, and it does look a little ridiculous. But he's not going to admit that.

"I don't do that…"

"That's Jack all right," Aster remarks as he walks past, "don't forget that he walks around without shoes on everywhere."

"Hey! I went three hundred years without shoes because nobody could see me so I couldn't get them—"

"North can make them by the factory-ful, mate, stop making excuses for yourself."

"But you walk around with no shoes on all the time!" Jack protests.

"That's because, you little dill, I'm a bunny." Aster says, crossing his arms. Jack rolls his eyes.

"What is everybody talking about?" North's booming voice echoes as he approaches from his workshop, dusting off his hands. Sandy follows with a question mark floating above his head.

"Just some of the many strange habits Jack says he doesn't have." Tooth replies lightly.

"Ah, very good. How about the stutter?" North adds much to Jack's displeasure.

"What stutter?"

"You're a very bad liar, Jack. You can play the rebellious teenage boy card as much as you like, but when push comes to shove, you get really jittery and jumpy when you're not telling the truth." Tooth tells him with a grin. North lets out a guffaw.

"Yes, yes! And the open mouth chewing—"

"The finger cracking—"

"He can never sit still—"

"Too curious—"

"Usually late—"

"_Always_ late—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Thanks everyone." Jack says, his pride a little bruised. Tooth gives him a guilty smile and an affectionate pat on the back.

"It's okay, we accept you just the way you are, Jack."

Truthfully, they do, and for that, Jack's thankful for everything they do and everything they are.

They're thankful too. However much denial they're in, the family needs their youngest son – it's not family without him.

They watch over fondly as he dozes off in North's favorite armchair, his little figure exhausted.

"I never realized how strange he was. Our little snow angel is not perfect by any means, really…" Tooth says thoughtfully.

"But that is perfectly alright." North assures her with a gentle smile. Aster rolls his eyes with a grin and Sandy works his magic. Jack's sweetened dreams assure that he'll wake up with a smile on his face.

"You know what," Tooth says, as the four gaze at him with a reluctant fondness in their eyes, "I take it back – he is perfect."

And nobody disagrees.

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a/n: as usual, suggestions or comments or anything else, please just let me know...tell me how your day was, it's all good. Until next time!


	15. Monster

**NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST**

Chapter: Monster

Prompt: Tremble (15)

Characters: Pitch

a/n: i think i'm pulling this down to 20 chapters, because otherwise it'll probably not be finished, but here's a little short one for Pitch...enjoy!

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**MONSTER**

To commit an evil is sinful, but isn't to stand by watching somebody commit a sin, even more so?

This is what the Shadow King believes, and it's the one thing he feels is wrong with evil. He is the boogeyman – he's the bad guy. But watching his deed being done hurts more than it should. It's one thing to scare, but another to live with it, be instilled with fear forever; and not just by things that go bump in the night.

Parents are supposed to love their children, aren't they?

That's what Pitch had always figured; they'd be the ones kids go crying to when there's something terrifying under the bed. But it's that the kids are more scared of their parents than him that is concerning.

Frankly, he didn't even know he was capable of being concerned.

But when a real, living, supposedly loving person loses their temper, they become completely different; their hands become weapons, their mouths become weapons.

With every slap, every beating, every terrible thing that comes out of that parent's mouth, the omniscient, fearful Boogeyman becomes a little smaller.

Because that's a real life kind of monster.


End file.
